This invention relates generally to wheel lug nuts and relates more particularly to an anti-theft device for a wheel lug nut having a special configuration.
There exists wheel lug nuts having a body defining an inner face for facing or engaging the rim of a wheel when tightened upon a lug stud of the wheel, an opposite outer face and a rounded exterior surface extending between the inner and outer faces which cannot be grasped with a conventional socket or lug wrench. For purposes of tightening or loosening the nut, the outer face of the nut commonly defines openings or recesses for receiving pins which project from a special wrench member to thereby prevent relative rotation between the nut and the wrench member. The wrench member, in turn, is adapted to be operatively clasped by a conventional socket or lug wrench for tightening or loosening the nut as the wrench member is manipulated by the conventional socket or wrench. Because the lug nut cannot be tightened or loosened with relative ease without the special wrench member, the lug nut discourages theft of the wheel by a person not possessing the special wrench member. An example of a wheel lug nut of the aforedescribed type is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,975.
Inasmuch as the aforedescribed lug nut body has a rounded exterior surface, the nut body with which this invention is concerned is one which is generally frustoconical in configuration. More specifically, the diameter of the nut as measured across the inner face is smaller than the diameter of the nut as measured across the outer face.
Wheel lug nuts of the aforedescribed type and special configuration are limited as theft-proof devices in that a tool, such as a pipe wrench, can be operatively fitted or clasped about the rounded exterior surface of the nut for loosening the nut.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved device enhancing the theft-proof quality of the nut of the aforedescribed type and configuration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for positioning about the exterior surface of the nut to thereby prevent the nut from being manipulated about a wheel lug stud by a pipe wrench or the like operatively clasped about the exterior surface of the nut.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a device of such configuration that its shape retains the device about a tightened wheel lug.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide such a device which is economical to manufacture and effective in operation.
This invention resides in an anti-theft device for use with a wheel lug nut of the aforedescribed type and configuration for enhancing the theft-proof quality of the nut.
The device is comprised of an elongated sleeve-like body having two opposite inner and outer ends and interior and exterior surfaces extending between the inner and outer ends. The exterior surface is generally rounded in shape as the sleeve-like body is viewed in a radial cross section, and the interior surface is shaped complementary to that of the frustoconical form of the exterior surface of the nut. The sleeve-like body is of such size to be loosely fitted about and substantially cover the exterior surface of the nut to thereby be retained upon the nut between the wheel rim and the frustoconical configuration of the lug nut and to thereby permit relative rotation between said sleeve-like body and the lug nut if the exterior surface of the sleeve-like body is manipulated with a pipe wrench and the like.